Re: How do you handle boredom as a caregiver?

I am bored out of my mind. I worked my whole life except for the last 4 yrs moving to Phoenix and fixing up our house. My husband has serious illnesses but is basically OK. He’s one of those people who wont ask the doctor any questions as if they’re God. I could handle the lunacy of that plus finding the most qualified doctors, researching the disorders and drugs if I have a life of my own. I am up for a telecommuting job, but whatever, I’d better work while I still can. I have taught him to shop andhe knows how to cook.

I'm glad he's basically okay. If passive. So i take it you can't leave him alone, which is why telecommuting makes sense? One of the things i really appreciate about aarp is how much information they have about finding employment for us folks over 50. Have you check out some of the info? Including jobs from home: https://www.aarp.org/work/job-search/part-time-jobs/ You sound smart, if stir crazy.

can you afford some home health aide care so you can get out some? are there groups in phoenix for people in your field? the local aarp office might have suggestions. then see what he cooks for you both while you're gone!

Re: How do you handle boredom as a caregiver?

I am bored out of my mind. I worked my whole life except for the last 4 yrs moving to Phoenix and fixing up our house. My husband has serious illnesses but is basically OK. He’s one of those people who wont ask the doctor any questions as if they’re God. I could handle the lunacy of that plus finding the most qualified doctors, researching the disorders and drugs if I have a life of my own. I am up for a telecommuting job, but whatever, I’d better work while I still can. I have taught him to shop andhe knows how to cook.

Re: How do you handle boredom as a caregiver?

My wife has crohns and R/A and sleeps quite a bit. I took up researching ancestry to while away the empty hours. I'm researching 6 lines of ancestry which can be confusing at times but keeps me sane. I use Ancestry.com and InstantCheckMate.com for research resources as well as state and local sites.

Re: How do you handle boredom as a caregiver?

My wife was diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia a year ago, but has been symptomatic for the past six years. She is incapable of independent living and I am her sole caregiver. Right now the caregiving burden isn't too overwhelming but I can't leave her alone for more than an hour or two during the day, and never at night. My answer to pending boredom was to buy myself a bread machine! I spend a lot of my free time making bread, and more recently muffins and pizza. Adjusting and tweaking recipes so they will work at 8000 feet above sea level keeps my mind active and I can't wait to try something new. Obviously baking isn't for everyone, and certainly no novelty for most, but my point is find yourself something that will occupy your mind, something you can lose yourself in even if only for a few hours a day. I know the day will come when caring for my wife will occupy all of my time, and take all of my energy, but in the meantime I intend to embrace this new and contrained lifestyle and live every day as best I can.

That's a condition which I don't remember as a caregiver - I remember being tired, depressed, sometimes a little frantic - but never boredom. But since I seemed to have my hands full with a husband on hospice (at home), with a last request to participate in our daughters wedding and a deaf, partially blind mother who was being released from rehab after breaking her hip and I was begging the rehab center to keep her just a few more days - plus all the other day to day stuff (self-employed) - who had time to be bored. I doubt if I would have even recognized it, if there was any room for it in my life at the time.

Guess it just all depends on the nature, the amount of hands-on-ness and extreme of the "caregiving".

Re: How do you handle boredom as a caregiver?

I use to get in a car and drive my husband around the island, we lived on Oahu. Most times he slept, the motion of the car helped him to sleep. I on the hand, looked out at the beautiful flowers waving to me. I smiled. I passed the deep blue oceans and longed to jump in and tumble and tumble, rolling along the waves and fish. I smiled and looked at him and he slept peacefully.

When, he woke up,we stopped at a small cafe and ordered and drove to the beach. The old ironwoods swayed in the breeze and we both felt like we were part of the wind, intertwining with beach and ourselves. Let's do this again, he said. I feel so wonderful here, so peaceful. It will be our adventure!